Starting a new career can be daunting. This is true whether you are thinking about entering the workforce for the first time, contemplating a change after years in one field or going back to work outside the home after a period of caregiving responsibilities for family members. Changing careers can be challenging, but it can also be an opportunity to experience a huge amount of personal growth. While not every job change means financial growth as well, this is often another reason for making this kind of change. The steps below can help you as you put your plan in place that will boost your personal and financial growth. below in this article, we will cover the Tips for Making a Career Change.
See a Career Counselor
If you want a change but aren’t entirely sure yet what it should be, a career counselor can help point you in the right direction. Visiting a career counselor could open the way to options you might never have considered. Even if you already know what you’d like to do, it might be helpful to check in with a professional to talk about the path to your new career and how to reach your goals. A career counselor can help you realistically assess your strengths and weaknesses, what you can expect in the new career and what it will take to get there.
Research
Find out as much as you can about the field you are considering from people who are working in it. In other words, being a criminal lawyer, a doctor, a professional chef or a crime scene investigator might seem very exciting based on what you have seen on TV, but how much does that reflect the reality of the situation? It’s important to know what your day-to-day duties would be like in the new path you are pursuing. You should also find out what kind of pay to expect, what the preparation will be like and what some alternatives might be. For example, the cost and time commitment might put medical school out of reach, but you may find an equally or more rewarding career as a nurse practitioner or physician’s assistant. Now you can attend flexible certification and recertification courses online in order to give your career a boost.
Take Practical Steps
Once you have identified what you want to do, you must determine the concrete steps that will get you there. It can help to write down each of your goals and what you need to do to reach them. If you are returning to school, you may need to take out a student loan. Going into debt might feel like a step backward if you are hoping for financial growth, but you can think of this as an opportunity to borrow for a better future.Â
Be realistic about how much you can take out in loans based on what you expect your salary to be after you graduate, but don’t let fear talk you out of making sacrifices that will improve your personal and financial growth in the long run. If you are concerned about the financial side of things, one option might be to meet with a financial planner and talk about your concerns and your long- and short-term goals.
